Far From The Tree | Robin Benway | Review
Far From The Tree tells the story of three siblings, meeting for the first time after growing up separately, and follows them on their journey as they get to know one another and search for their birth mother.
The first sibling we are introduced to is teenager Grace, who is going through a tough time. Having fallen pregnant and with no support from her ex-boyfriend, Grace makes the decision to give her baby up for adoption. Adopted as a baby herself, this difficult choice inspires Grace to find out more about her own birth parents and after being raised as an only child she is surprised to discover that she has a younger sister living close by.
Maya, who was also adopted, is already aware that she has a sibling, but having grown up with a sister she doesn’t always see eye to eye with (her parents biological daughter) she isn’t exactly in a rush to find Grace. Maya hasn’t had an easy ride herself and has always felt like the odd one out in her family, standing out in all of their family photos - the dark haired girl in a family of redheads. After Grace gets in contact to introduce herself, the pair also decide to track down their older half-brother Joaquin.
Joaquin has not had a similar experience to his sisters. Growing up in the foster system, he has been bounced around various different homes but has finally found a kind, supportive couple who he gets along well with and want to adopt him. Although Joaquin is happy in his current home there’s something holding him back from saying yes to officially becoming a family.
The chapters alternate between the three characters allowing readers to get to know each of them as individuals, as well as watching their relationship grow together as siblings. I loved following their journey as they got to know each other, noticed all of their similarities despite their different upbringings, and developed a close bond. To me, each of the characters felt very distinct and real and I believe this is one of the elements that makes the book such a success.
Whilst I find it difficult to review a book that I enjoyed this much I felt like I had to talk about this one - it's not very often I rate a book 5 stars! Whilst I didn’t know anything much about the book going in, I remembered the author’s name from her previous novel Emmy & Oliver which I also really enjoyed and I’m glad I decided to pick up this one too. With lovable, relatable characters at it’s centre, the story is heartwarming and enjoyable, even through the more difficult events and I would highly recommend adding it to your 2018 TBR. ★★★★★
Cover image via Goodreads
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